Top guide for moving partition strips in partition assembly machine



March 24, 1970 J. L. DAVIS 05 TOP GUIDE FOR MOVING PARTITION STRIPS IN PARTITION ASSEMBLY MACHINE Filed Nov. 15. 1967 /6 INVENTOR JAMES 1.. DAVlS ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,502,005 TOP GUIDE FOR MOVlNG PARTITION STRIPS IN PARTITION ASSEMBLY MACHINE James L. Davis, Somerville, N.J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Cleveland Container Corp., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 683,208 Int. Cl. B31b 11/02 US. Cl. 93-37 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The top guide is made up of a transverse web with a pair of lateral guide plates subtending side-by-side from the top web to define between them a pasageway for the upper portion of a partition strip. The top guide is adjustably mounted on a transverse bar on a partition assembly machine at the threshold to the assembly point of the moving partition strip with a transverse partition strip.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The embodiment of the present invention disclosed below was designed for use with the apparatus disclosed and, in part, claimed in the co-pending application Ser. No. 620,031 filed on Mar. 2, 1967 and entitled Guide Apparatus for a Partition Assembly Machine. The machine in which the present invention functions assembles the familiar interlocking, orthogonal array of partition strips used in cartons to separate jars, cans, bottles, and other such articles. These partitions are assembled by simultaneously moving a row of longitudinal partition strips horizontally across an assembly point with their aligned assembly slots opening upward, and as each row of assembly slots passes under the assembly point a transverse partition strip is moved downward into interlocking relationship with the row of moving longitudinal partition strips. The partition strips are die cut from large rolls of partition material, such as paperboard, chip board, corrugated board and the like, and consequently the partition strips are frequently warped or rnisshapened by the curvature of the roll, particularly when they are cut from a partially used roll of material. Nevertheless, the automatic machine assembly of these partitions requires precise timing and positioning of the partition strips, because the slightest misalignment or timing discrepancy can result in a jam-up with the necessary shut down of the machine to clear it.

In these machines the top edges of the row of moving partition strips are always presented at the same elevation and the bottom support of the partition strips is raised or lowered to accommodate the different heights of patitions required. Lateral support of the higher partitions, particularly, is therefore essential to the efiicient, uninterupted and high speed production of the machine. Machines of this sort are disclosed in US. Patents Nos. 2,163,923; 2,221,865; 2,656,770 and 2,984,480. In these machines, the longitudinal partition strips are driven through the assembly point by passing them through the bite between vertically projecting feeder rollers. In front and behind each set of feeder rollers, the prior art mounted vertical pins projecting upwardly to guide the high partition strips, and large rubber bands were stretched around the tops of these bands so that a continuous channel was provided at the top of the partition strips. Although this structure has been in constant use for many years, it has a number of serious disadvantages: first, every set up of the machine for a different size partition strip required the time consuming replacement of a large number of these pins; secondly, a cabinet full of different size pins was required for each machine to make that 3,502,005 Patented Mar. 24, 1970 machine adaptable to the many different sizes of partition strips used; third, the rubber bands would frequently break and require shut down of the machine for replacements, and a moderate size assembly plant might spend about $30 a week on rubber bands alone; fourth, the rubber bands and pins obstructed access to the partition strips for clearing jam-ups when they occured, thus greatly extending the down time resulting from a jam-up; and fifth, the posts and rubber bands obstructed the view of the assembly point making set up of machines more difficult and time consuming. All of these factors combine to cut down production and increase cost of the production in a highly competitive, low margin industry.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the top guide for a partition assembly machine, and more specifically it resides in a combination of a top web with a pair of lateral guide plates subtending side by side therefrom to define between them a desired path of travel for moving partition strips with mounting means on the top web for suspending it above the desired path of travel for the moving partition strips.

By means of the structure set forth in the preceding paragraph a number of important, cost saving and production increasing objects and advantages are achieved. First of all, better control of higher partition strips is possible, even if the partition strips are warped, thus preventing jam-ups and attending machine down-time. Also, the combination eliminates altogether the need for guide posts and rubber bands with the cost. inventory and maintenance required for each. This device eliminates any need for adjustment of the upper guide during machine set up, even though a diiferent height partition strip is to be used than had previously been used on the machine. The prior art could not control the vertical location of partition strips which tended to climb up the partition rollers as they were driven along, but the present invention maintains the precise vertical positioning required for optimum operation of the machine. When jam-ups do occur, the present invention permits quick and easy access for quick clearing of the jam-up With a minimum of down-time. Also, the present invention exposes to view the assembly point so as to facilitate the set up. The structure of this top guide is such that its exit end may be immediately adjacent to the assembly point and as a result it also functions to guide the transverse partition strip which is driven down across the moving longitudinal partition strips, making it a double duty guide. Finally, the present invention permits the assembly of substantially smaller cell sized partitions that had been previously possible, because the present invention alows the longitudinal partition strip to be guided closer together after they leave the last set of feeder rollers to achieve a smaller cell and thus eliminating the need for manual assembly of such smaller partitions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a partition assembly machine at the assembly point embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of a top guide embodying the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of a top guide shown in FIG. 2.

Description of the preferred embodiment Only a portion of the partition assembly machine in which this embodiment is used is shown in the drawings, and reference should be had to the mentioned co-pending application Ser. No. 620,031 filed on Mar. 2, 1967, as well as US. Patent Nos. 2,163,923; 2,221,865; 2,656,770 and 3 2,984,480, the disclosures of which are included here by reference, for further details regarding the machine. In FIG. 1, a portion of a partition assembly machine 1 is shown including its assembly point 2, where transverse partition strips 3 are assembled in assembly slots 4 of longitudinal partition strips 5. The transverse partition strips 3 are fed vertically downward from above the longitudinal partition strips 5 and a reciprocable knife 6 cuts off each transverse partition strip at the time of assembly.

The longitudinal partition strips 5 are fed horizontally by a feeder mechanism 7, only a portion of which is shown. The feeder mechanism 7 is made up of a series of feeder units 8 and 9, only two of which are shown, and which are mounted on a track 10 for horizontal ad justment to accommodate partition strips 5 of different length. The track 10 and base 11, a portion of which is shown, are vertically adjustable to accommodate longitudinal partition strips 5 of different heights so that the longitudinal partition strip 5 always has its top edge 12 approximately the same distance below the knives 6, regardless of the height of the partition strips 5.

Each feeder unit 8 and 9 has a pair of driven feeder rollers 13, only one of which is visible in the elevation shown here. The feeder rollers 13 have knurled tops 14 which are resiliently urged together to grasp the longitudinal partition strip 5 in their bite and drive it forwardly toward the assembly point 2. Although knurled steel tops 14 are shown here, other types of frictional surfaces are sometimes used. Also not shown here, but disclosed in the mentioned co-pending application Ser. No. 620,031 and the patents referred to above, is the fact that the feeder mechanism 7 includes a row of feeder units 8 and 9, mounted side by side to accommodate a plurality of longitudinal partition strips 5 which are simultaneously driven across the assembly point 2 with their assembly slots 4 in perfect alignment to receive the transverse partition strips 3.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of a top guide 15 embodying the present invention which is shown in elevation in FIGS. 1 and 2. The top guide 15 is made up of a top web 16 which is a strip of steel. Adjacent to the top Web 16 is a pair of lateral guide panels 17 and 18 which define between them the path 19 for a longitudinal partition strip 5. The top guide 15 may be thought of as having an entrance end 20 and an exit end 21 whereby the longitudinal partition strip 5 enters and leaves it. The entrance ends 20 of the lateral guide panels 17 and 18 have outwardly flared portions 22 and 23 which define between them a diverging baflle to capture any misguided or misshaped longitudinal partition strips 5 and to funnel them on to the assembly point 2. Each of the lateral guide panels 17 and 18 also has a foot portion 24 and 25, respectively, which is bolted or riveted to the top web 16, although it could also be welded or otherwise fastened to anchor the lateral guide panels 17 and 18 in place on the top web 16.

A mounting bolt 26 projects from the top surface of the top web 16 to pass through a slot 27 in a supporting member 28, which is a steel bar 28 mounted to extend transversely across the assembly machine 1 above the paths of the longitudinal partition strips 5 just at the threshold of the assembly point 2. A wing nut 29 completes the mounting means for the top guide 15 and secures the mounting bolt 26 to the supporting bar 28. The slot 27 extending the length of the supporting bar 28 allows the top guide 15 to be laterally adjusted depending upon the width of the partition cells as defined by the transverse partition strips 3. Upon close examination of FIG. 1 it will be seen that when the top guide 15 is mounted in place, the top web 16 at the entrance end 20 is higher than at the exit end 21, and the purpose for this is to capture longitudinal partition strips 5 which have a tendency to ride upwardly as they are driven by feeder rollers 13, and to guide them downwardly into the proper vertical relationship to the transverse partition strip 3 at the assembly point, 2. Hence, the top web 16 is more than a mere supporting means for the lateral guide panels 17 and 18, and actually performs a guide function also.

The exit end 21 of the pair of lateral guide panels 17 and 18 is immediately adjacent to the assembly point 2, and the edges of the lateral guide panels 17 and 18 at the exit end 21 are slanted away from the top web 16 toward the assembly point 2 to form bevelled guide edges 30 and 31 to guide the transverse partition strip 3 into the assembly slot 4. Hence the top guide 15 not only guides the longitudinal partition strips 5, its main function, but it also guides the transverse partition strips 3 as a secondary function to reduce further the chance of a jam-up.

To support and guide the bottom of the longitudinal partition strip 5, bottom support panels 32, 33 and 34 are mounted the feeder units 8 and 9 with pins 35, 36 and 37. This guidance structure is the subject of co-pending application No. 620,031. The lateral space requirements of the adjacent rows of feeder units 8 and 9, had been a limitation on the minimum cell size of partitions that could be automatically assembled on this type of a machine, but the top guide of the present invention, which is laterally adjustable and extends all the way up to the assembly point 2, permits the adjacent longitudinal partition strips 5 to converge more closely together than had previously been possible. Thus partitions having smaller cell sizes can now be automatically assembled and previously manual operations are thereby eliminated.

The above described structure provides all of the advantages set forth under the heading Summary of the Invention. However, although the top guide of the present invention is shown here with the bottom guide apparatus which is the subject of the mentioned co-pending application Ser. No. 620,031, owned by the same assignee as mentioned above, its application is not so limited. This top guide would also be beneficial in conjunction with the guide system shown in the above mentioned patents, and it could, in some embodiments supplant all other guide systems entirely. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the embodiments shown here but is subject to variation, embellishment, and modification depending upon the whim of the designer and the machine with which it is used. To determine the scope of the invention, refer therefore, to the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:

1. A top guide for guiding linearly moving edgewise disposed partition strips to a point of assembly with a transverse partition strip in a partition assembly machine comprising the combination of a top web; mounting means for suspending said web above a desired path of travel for moving edgewise disposed partition strips; a pair of lateral guide plates su'btending side by side from said top web to define between the said desired path of travel for such a moving partition strip; said pair of lateral guide panels having an entry end to receive an incoming partition strip and an exit end toward said point of assembly, said entry end being shaped to present an outwardly diverging baffle; a partition assembly machine with which said top guide is associated having a support member extending transversely above said desired path of travel of said moving partition strip, such support member being adapted to be engaged by said mounting means operatively associated with said top web for adjustably supporting said top guide over top edges of said moving partition strips.

' 2. A top guide for guiding linearly moving partition strips as set forth in claim 1 wherein said top guide is supported so that said top web converges from said entry end toward said exit end to a desired height for said top edges of said partition strips.

3. A top guide for guiding linearly moving partition strips as set forth in claim 1 wherein said top guide is supported so that said exit end of said pair of lateral 5 guide panels is immediately adjacent to a point of assembly of transverse strips with linearly moving partition strips.

4. A top guide for guiding linearly moving partition strips as set forth in claim 3 wherein said exit end of said pair of lateral guide panels is shaped to slant away from said top web toward an assembly point to guide transverse partition strips.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Van Houten 19832 Steele 198-32 Evans 27159 Dauber 93--37 Glaser 27159 RICHARD E. AEGERTER, Primary Examiner 

